Sales Performance vs. Sales Results

 

What if I tell you that your sales performance is not the same as your sales results? Every time I share this thought with a sales leader, I am often met with disbelief. Eyes wide open, they firmly disagree.

 

However, let me explain. Sales is a performance-driven profession, much like sports. You can perform exceptionally well and still lose the deal, just as you can perform poorly and yet close the sale. The crucial distinction lies in the fact that we do not control the results.

 

Why? Because outcomes are influenced by many external factors that are beyond our reach. These can range from the state of the economy and customer contexts to competitor behavior or even something as unpredictable as the buyer’s mood on any given day.

 

Yet, while results are often out of our hands, our performance is fully within our control. How we speak, respond, explain, and connect with our customers—these are aspects of our performance we can shape. The way we engage, the clarity of our communication, and the manner in which we present our solutions are all factors we can master.

 

At the end of the day, while we cannot control the outcome, we can always control how we show up. And when we focus on delivering consistent, high-level performance, we put ourselves in the best possible position to achieve success